Brian Barrett, Author at Gizmodo

Which Social Network Goes With Your Kind of Crazy?

A Venn diagram that maps social networks against various behavioral disorders? Yes, please. Although surely anyone still using MySpace has troubles running much deeper than what’s listed here. [Despair via TNW]

Social Media Brian Barrett Jul 3

Kin Memorial Site Helps You Work Through The Pain

Kin, we hardly knew ye. If you’re overwhelmed with grief over the demise of Microsoft’s smart-dumbphones, or maybe—just possibly—looking for one last chance to make fun of them, here’s your chance. The elegies are already rolling in: https://gizmodo.com/microsoft-kills-kin-5576764 Good night, sweet Kins. May flights of fanboys sing thee to thy rest. To add your own…

Tech News Brian Barrett Jul 3

An Airplane Cockpit Bedroom Is All Class, No Business

Some of us spice up our bedrooms with He-Man sheets and scented candles. But the guy who turned his domicile into an airplane cockpit is operating at a whole other altitude. As Unplggd points out, this is actually a doable DIY: you can buy a wall-sized cockpit mural today if you’re so inclined. Of course,…

Tech News Brian Barrett Jul 2

The First Electric Freeway Is An Oregon Trail

Interstate 5 crosses Washington state from Oregon to Canada. And later this year, work will begin to make it the first electric highway in the United States. It’s good to be a Volt owner in the Pacific Northwest. https://gizmodo.com/4-400-volt-owners-will-get-free-charging-stations-5566187 While I enjoy the mental image of lightning bolts six lanes wide, the electric freeway project’s…

Tech News Brian Barrett Jul 2

The Anatomy of Kin’s Demise

The sudden death of Kin came as a surprise, but it’s increasingly clear that it shouldn’t have. First came hints of internal strife stunting Kin before it ever had a chance, and now the finger’s pointing directly at one man. https://gizmodo.com/the-real-kin-culprit-internal-microsoft-bickering-5577810 Engadget breaks it down like this: After Microsoft acquired Danger back in 2008, Xbox…

Tech News Brian Barrett Jul 2

True Love Doesn’t Rust

Him: a warrior-slave from a forbidden planet. Her: a servant girl from a decent upper-middle class space home. And while their parts may break down from time to time, their love is eternal. If you think Jason Chalker’s “Robbie and Rosie” is as fun as we all do—and honestly, how couldn’t you?—good news! It’s available…

Tech News Brian Barrett Jul 2

Facebook’s Oversized Economy Visualized

What if Facebook were a country, and all its apps and fan pages were its fiefdoms? It would look a little something like this. Oh, and it would be filthy, filthy rich. Because Facebook’s a private company, it’s impossible to know how much the site itself makes. But the value of fan pages alone is…

Social Media Brian Barrett Jul 2

Google Music Launching Alongside Android 3.0 This Fall/Winter

According to Android product manager Gaurav Jain, Google Music will be launched concurrently with Android 3.0 (Gingerbread) at the end of this year. Presumably just in time to battle iTunes Live. https://gizmodo.com/itunes-newest-competition-may-be-called-google-music-5555858 Apple and Google’s race to stream content from the cloud has never really been a question of if so much as of when,…

Tech News Brian Barrett Jul 2

Cardboard Warfare Is Hell

Sweeping scope. Operatic score. Just a touch of megaviolence. And heavy artillery made entirely out of cardboard. This is Cardboard Warfare. It’s three and a half minutes of pure paper kickass. Directed by Clinton Jones, Cardboard Warfare took about six weeks to put together. The process involved 59 layers of sound effects, 427 manual frames…

Movies Brian Barrett Jul 2

One Spork Multitool To Rule Them All

You love sporks. You love multitools. And now? Look on with a delicate blend of respect and astonishment that the two coexist, in blissful harmony that is the CRKT Eat’N Tool. The CRKT Eat’N Tool is a bottle opener, screwdriver/pry tip, three metric wrench reliefs and a carabiner all in one. Oh, and a spork.…

Tech News Brian Barrett Jul 1

Apple Store iPhone Upgrade Gives Woman Access To Stranger’s Photos and Texts

The owner of this bedazzled iPhone is Stockton, CA resident Maria Avila. When she got her handset back from an iOS4 upgrade at her local Apple Store, she found it chock full of a complete stranger’s personal data. Curious! Setting aside the oddness of going to the Genius Bar for a firmware update, it’s hard…

Tech News Brian Barrett Jul 1

OnStar Users Can Beam Google Maps To Their Car Starting Today

The announcement came earlier this month, but today’s the first day that GM’s OnStar eNav feature is fully operational. If you’ve got an OnStar-enabled GM vehicle (model year 2006 or more recent), you can search for a destination on Google Maps and have it sent directly to your car. Just like Ford Sync! And hopefully…

Tech News Brian Barrett Jul 1

Vuvuzela Mad Science

Take one (1) vuvuzela horn, one (1) air horn, and some small quantity of duct tape. Attach air horn nozzle to vuvuzela horn mouthpiece with said duct tape. Blow until ears bleed. Repeat. [ThereIFixedIt via Buzzfeed]

Tech News Brian Barrett Jul 1

The Real Kin Culprit: Internal Microsoft Bickering

Theories abound as to the forces behind Kin’s speedy demise. And yes, ultimately the plug got pulled because it wasn’t selling well. But a theory over at ZDNet holds that spats between Microsoft’s internal fiefdoms doomed Kin from the start. https://gizmodo.com/microsoft-kills-kin-5576764 At first, Kin was slated to be a Windows Mobile 7 phone. Except Windows…

Tech News Brian Barrett Jul 1

The Sidekick Gets Kicked To The Curb

I come to bury Sidekick, not to praise him. Less than 24 hours after Microsoft killed Kin dead, T-Mobile has abandoned the granddaddy of messaging phones. Sidekick sales will cease tomorrow, July 2nd, and honestly? No one will care. https://gizmodo.com/microsoft-kills-kin-5576764 The Sidekick LX and Sidekick 2008 will no longer be supported by T-Mobile after tomorrow,…

Tech News Brian Barrett Jul 1

iAds Are Here Today. This Is What They Look Like.

One of iOS4’s tentpole features—right up there with multitasking and folders—launches today. It’s called iAd, and it’s coming to hog your screen and your bandwidth. Here’s what one of the first looks like. https://gizmodo.com/iphone-os-4-0-the-best-new-features-5512635 This walkthrough of a Nissan Leaf iAd is itself a bit of a plug for Leaf and for iAds, which is…

Tech News Brian Barrett Jul 1

DirecTV n3D Channel Officially Live, With 24-Hour 3D Content

If you’re one of that small subsection that subscribes to DirecTV and owns a 3D television and isn’t at work right now, go ahead and flip over to channel 103. It’s called n3D, and it’s what you’ve been waiting for. Mark already got a sneak peak at DirecTV’s dedicated 3D channel back at CES. Not…

Television Brian Barrett Jul 1

Facebook App Updated for iOS 4

The Facebook app has gotten its iOS 4 facelift, with fast app switching and a few other goodies (Korean and Russian localizations, oh my!) making up the bulk of the improvements. There are also minor bug fixes and some higher-resolution icons. You can go ahead and pick Facebook 3.1.4 here. [Thanks, Casey!]

Tech News Brian Barrett Jun 30

Cisco Promises Wi-Fi Flip, iOS4 App, And More

Turns out an enterprise tablet was just the beginning: Cisco today also announced plans for a Wi-Fi Flip cam, an iOS4 video client, and a media transcoder that would broker an end to the ongoing Apple-Flash spat. Busy day! https://gizmodo.com/ciscos-android-tablet-wants-to-be-the-ipad-for-suits-5575726 There aren’t many details available about each individual item, but here’s what we we know:…

Tech News Brian Barrett Jun 30

Droid X NY Times Ad Sneaks In iPhone 4 Jab

Release the hounds! First Nokia writes a post about how holdable its phones are, and now Motorola’s touting that Droid X “allows you to hold the phone any way you like.” In this full-page NY Times ad, no less. https://gizmodo.com/nokia-gets-cheeky-and-says-you-can-hold-their-phones-ho-5574455 The iPhone 4’s antenna issues have been widely cataloged and acknowledged by Apple. On the…

Tech News Brian Barrett Jun 30

Brian Barrett

Which Social Network Goes With Your Kind of Crazy?

Kin Memorial Site Helps You Work Through The Pain

An Airplane Cockpit Bedroom Is All Class, No Business

The First Electric Freeway Is An Oregon Trail

The Anatomy of Kin’s Demise

True Love Doesn’t Rust

Facebook’s Oversized Economy Visualized

Google Music Launching Alongside Android 3.0 This Fall/Winter

Cardboard Warfare Is Hell

One Spork Multitool To Rule Them All

Apple Store iPhone Upgrade Gives Woman Access To Stranger’s Photos and Texts

OnStar Users Can Beam Google Maps To Their Car Starting Today

Vuvuzela Mad Science

The Real Kin Culprit: Internal Microsoft Bickering

The Sidekick Gets Kicked To The Curb

iAds Are Here Today. This Is What They Look Like.

DirecTV n3D Channel Officially Live, With 24-Hour 3D Content

Facebook App Updated for iOS 4

Cisco Promises Wi-Fi Flip, iOS4 App, And More

Droid X NY Times Ad Sneaks In iPhone 4 Jab

‘Marvel Rivals’ Wants to Start Being More Than Just a Hero Shooter

‘How Do We Make Sure That Claude Behaves Itself?’: Anthropic Invited 15 Christians for a Summit

See the Next ‘Hunger Games’ in This Trip Down Memory Lane

Indie Animation Is Having a Moment on YouTube

Trump’s World Liberty Financial Makes FTX-esque Move, Borrows Against Its Own Crypto Token

Steven Soderbergh Wanted to Take ‘Bond’ Back to the ’60s

If You Make Fart Music, ChatGPT Will Be the Most Supportive Girlfriend You Could Ask For

This Loud-Ass Party Speaker Almost Got Me High AF

VHS-Inspired ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ Mod Takes Night City Back to the Future

Our Checkout Code Gives You 5 Years of ChatOn’s All-in-One AI Tools Experience for Less Than Half Price

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws